With the second month of the season in the rear-view mirror, the Carolina Hurricanes turn their attention to the final month of the calendar year. While it won’t play as many games as they did in November, the schedule remains as daunting as ever during this condensed Olympics season. Here is your primer for the chaos set to ensue in December for the club.
If you like back-to-backs, then December is the month for you
The Hurricanes are set to play 14 games in December, with a nearly even split of home (8) and away (6) games. It’s also a very Eastern Conference-heavy schedule with 11 of their 14 games coming against the Metropolitan and Atlantic Divisions. Only one will be broadcast nationally, coming when they host the Columbus Blue Jackets on December 9 to conclude their seven-game homestand.
Back-to-backs are going to be a big part of the schedule. There are four sets scheduled this month, with one almost every weekend. The first set comes this weekend against Nashville and San Jose. There’s also a home-and-home against the Philadelphia Flyers, a Florida-themed journey before Christmas, and a back-to-back with travel to close the month with the Rangers and the Penguins.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t also mention that the team will celebrate its 2006 Stanley Cup victory with a three-day celebration. It kicks off on Sunday before the team hosts the Sharks, features an Alumni Game on Monday at the Lenovo Center, and concludes with the team hosting the Blue Jackets on Tuesday.
5 (or 6) Hurricanes Games to Watch in December5. December 30 at Pittsburgh
I’m not sure many people expected to see the Pittsburgh Penguins be this competitive this season. They’re in a Wild Card spot to start December, with their core getting one last chance to do something special as Evgeni Malkin plays his last season in Pittsburgh and rumors swirl about Sidney Crosby’s future beyond this year.
Crosby is playing as well as he did in his 20s, approaching 20 goals as one of the league’s best scorers once again. It’ll be the Hurricanes’ first look at the Penguins, and with a month separating them from this meeting, it’s anyone’s guess where these two will be when it happens. It also marks the final game of 2025.
4. December 7 vs. San Jose
The San Jose Sharks are another team that has surprised many with their play early this season, backed by Macklin Celebrini, one of the league’s top scorers through two months. While they’re just on the outside of the playoffs right now, they’ve slowed down a bit as November rolled along. We might see a slight dip in their play sooner rather than later.
That being said, I don’t expect to see the same team that hosted the Hurricanes when they began their State Fair trip in October. It was tight early in the second period before the Canes pulled away with four unanswered goals in a 5-1 victory to snag Brandon Bussi his first NHL win during his Hurricanes and NHL debut.
3. December 20 at Tampa Bay
To begin December, the Hurricanes and the Lightning sit atop their respective divisions, tied with 34 points each. They’ve yet to meet this season, so this will be a heavyweight bout between two of the best in the league. The Bolts are one of the hottest teams in the league heading into the third month, winning seven straight to close November.
There’s a part of me that hopes Jaccob Slavin is healthy enough for this game. I would love to see this be a true best-on-best battle. Unfortunately, without a meaningful update regarding Slavin’s status, we don’t know whether that will be a reality. Fortunately, they have two-thirds of the month to make this happen. It also doesn’t help that this will be the second half of a back-to-back for Carolina
2. December 11 at Washington
Maybe I’m partial because this also happens to be my birthday, but this game intrigues me from a hockey standpoint as well. The Capitals were one of the few teams in November to hand it to the Hurricanes, doing so in Raleigh on November 11. One month later, how will the Canes respond when the battle takes place in enemy territory?
The Hurricanes, despite their road struggles in past postseasons, played well in D.C. in May during the playoffs, winning two of the three games away from home, including the series-clincher. They did lose both during the regular season, though. Add to it that Logan Thompson has maintained his status as a Vezina favorite, and it should be a big-time bout.
T-1. December 19 at Florida/December 23 vs. Florida
If you’re going to bend the rules, you’d better have a good reason. This is the reason. The schedule makers thought it would be a good idea for the Canes and the Panthers to play twice in less than a week before Christmas. It’ll be hard for any of the players to stay on Santa’s nice list that close to the big day as postseason combatants face off for the first time since the Panthers eliminated the Canes.
Of course, these meetings will have a different feel, given the Panthers’ injury situation. Matthew Tkachuk has yet to play this season after offseason surgery. He’s skating in a limited capacity, which is a positive sign. Aleksander Barkov is likely out for the season with a knee injury, though a postseason return hasn’t been ruled out. Either way, there will be fireworks when these two meet.